Tsunami on the Mentawai archipelago, floods in Benin and bloody festival in Thailand.

This week, our Observers take us to Indonesia, where a tsunami hit the Mentawai archipelago. Then to Benin, which has suffered devastating floods. Finally to Thai island of Phuket,home to the bloody 'Vegetarian Festival'.

We begin today in Indonesia at a surf resort that's normally home to one of the best surfing waves in the world. But on October 26, the resort was hit by a tsunami. Our Observer was afraid for his life.

Observer : Sebastian Carvallo in Australia.

STORY 2 : BENIN

Our next Observer lives in Benin, in West Africa, which has been suffering from widespread flooding. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected.

Observer: Wilfryd Hehou in Cotonou, Benin's biggest city.

STORY 3 : THAILANDE

Finally today, a religious festival celebrated by Taoist devotees in Thailand, as an annual cleansing ritual. It's NOT for the squeamish.